The Clippers seemed destined to compete for titles when they traded for Chris Paul. The addition of Paul next to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan was supposed to be a match in heaven. However, the pairing hasn't gone quite as planned.
The Clippers have been very good since the arrival of Paul, but they've never managed to reach a level that satisfied their goals. No conference finals appearances and plagued by injuries, Paul and the Clippers just haven't been quite good enough. Entering this summer there's a real possibility that everything is blown up and players go their separate ways. If that ends up being the case, then Paul might already have a destination in mind: San Antonio.
The Clippers, I'm told, take the threat of a Spurs free-agent pursuit of Chris Paul very seriously despite SA's current lack of cap space.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) May 26, 2017
Paul obviously hasn't spoken at all about his free agency situation, but for years now it's felt like he and the Spurs were destined to be together. With the Spurs possibly seeing their old guard begin to retire, this might be the perfect time for Paul to come in and take over the Spurs. Of course, they would need to find a way to figure him under the salary cap.
That salary cap has to be what's giving the Clippers ease right now. They still have the ability to give Paul the most money, and depending on what Blake Griffin does, go out and retool their team. However, if both Paul and Griffin leave, then they're stuck with DeAndre Jordan and not a lot of youth on the roster to build off of. They'd have to fire sale everything and start a rebuild. Paul leaving is a potential catalyst for that.
The Spurs really are the perfect option if Paul does decide to leave Los Angeles for a new team. It would be a team and system he knows is reliable without him micromanaging every spot on the court. He'd be able to just go out and play basketball. That said, there's no guarantee of Paul leaving in the first place.
